The importance of putting to a golfer cannot be minimized inasmuch as about half of the strokes taken in a round of golf are putts. Seemingly, the golf putting stroke should be relatively easy to execute, but most golfers do not find such to be the case.
Preparatory to executing a putt a golfer must survey that portion of the green located between his or her ball and the cup to determine which way the ball will curve or "break," to establish whether the course of travel is uphill or downhill, and to ascertain the magnitude of such terrain deviations from a level surface. Once this is done the golfer merely has to stroke the ball in a predetermined direction with sufficient force for the ball to roll into the cup. However, this is far easier to say than to accomplish.
Heretofore, certain physical aids have been devised for use in training golfers to putt. Some prior art aids proposed or actually developed for use in enhancing a golfer's ability to putt have comprised a track having a pair of spaced, parallel guides between which one swings the putter head. Deviations in movement of the head between the two guides are sensed visually or by contact of the putter head with one of the guides. Exemplary of such putting aids are those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,230,319, 4,423,875 and 4,437,669.
The limited success achievable by devices of the type just described is believed to be attributable to the absence of physical sensory inputs. A golfer will mentally know when he or she has executed a putt well with such a device by visual observation and the absence of external force or shock. However, repetition without reliance on the aid is dependent on memory of the body movement that produces good putts. In other words, one must somehow recall and repeat a movement that was correct as measured by the absence of a physical input, i.e. feeling the stroke without contacting a guide.
Heretofore, such a positive sensory input has been provided by the golf club swing training device such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,035. That device provides means for slidably securing the shaft of a golf club to a rail supported above a playing surface, which rail extends along an ideal club swing path for short golf shots such as pitches and putts. By swinging the club slidably attached to the rail, the trainee may feel the club as it travels on an ideal path while being moved by the trainee. In this manner a positive sensory input is made.
Unfortunately, there are two serious problems associated with positive feedback training aids of the type just described. One is the lack of sufficient accommodation for individual of differing stature. In other words, only very limited adjustment is provided by the device to personalize it. The second limitation is the rigidity provided in actually coupling the club to the device. This makes for difficulty in making the transition from use of the aid to actual play, when the aid is no longer being used.
Accordingly, it is seen that were apparatus to be devised that could be used in a manner to provide some degree of positive input feel while retaining a balanced degree of swing freedom, a distinct advance in the art could be achieved. This would facilitate transition from aided practice to actual play. It is to the provision of such apparatus that the present invention is primarily directed.
The present invention differs from these and other prior art devices by introducing a slightly deformable, curved guide means, preferably in the form of a flexible guide plane, which the golfer can configure to his needs, and which serves to guide the putter shaft in a consistently repeatable manner.